Sweet scent of success

Perfume bottles crowd the shelves of upscale stores in Dubai, with new ones popping up every now and then.

The older ones jostle for space, with many getting lost in the shuffle or being relegated to dusty shelves at the back — unless it is a brand that has stood the test of time.

Guerlain — with its 180-year history of being at the forefront — definitely has. But it is the person who carries the name forward who bears the heavy load of upholding a tradition.

Thierry Wasser inherited the mantle from Jean Paul Guerlain, whom he calls “Master''.

Homme in on perfection

Wasser was recently in Dubai to talk about Guerlain Homme, the latest scent from the House of Guerlain. He is the creator or the “nose'' in the fragrance industry.

Admiration for his mentor peppers his conversations as he reveals how much he has learnt from him.

Accompanying him was Elisabeth Sirot, the international PR and press director of the House of Guerlain.

An encyclopaedia on the House of Guerlain, she has been with the company for years. The duo was in town on a whistle-stop tour before heading back to Paris.

Wasser has been with Guerlain for just four months but his association with the company goes back to the time he was studying to be a nose.

Born in Montreux, Switzerland, he grew up in the countryside, developing a passion for herbs and plants. “I collected herbs as other boys in my class collected football cards,'' he said.

By the time he was 20, he had received a degree in botany. He happened to come across an article about Givaudan in a local magazine and on an impulse, decided that perfumes would be his career.

He sought an appointment with Jean Hadorn, the director of the Perfumery School and enrolled on a course in 1981. Six years later, he became a Fine Fragrance Perfumer with Givaudan, Paris.

He switched to Dior and shifted to New York for nine years, returning to Paris after the creation of Dior Addict.

“Guerlain is the market leader in the perfume industry,'' he said. “But the ingredients are kept secret. Once I happened to unlock the fridge where they were kept and the authorities yelled at me. They put a lock on it and told me to never open it again.''

The company celebrated 180 years of success as people excitedly waited for the arrival of the new scent. Guerlain Homme was launched in September.

Is it true that scents from the Middle East influence the French perfume market?

Yes. We have many people from the Middle East coming to Paris and they are big buyers. Besides, when you walk past a shop selling oudh or bakhoor, you just happen to catch a whiff of the perfumes — and these Oriental scents are intriguing and have a charm of their own.

An Arab gave a friend of mine a bottle of oudh and she loved it. She also wanted me to come up with something similar so even the French could enjoy the scent. It was just one perfume among thousands.

But all this interest is healthy curiosity. It's about opening your eyes and seeing what the rest of the world likes.

Will any of the fragrances you come up with in future have an Oriental touch?

Arab culture is spreading fast and in France, especially, the influence is very strong. I have lots of Lebanese friends and have been introduced to Middle Eastern food, bakhoor and many scents from Arabia.

Besides, I love roses, which are very Oriental. So, yes. Guerlain, with its 180 years of history, is still open to new ideas.

How is a fragrance created?

A fragrance is a message in a bottle. The inspiration could be a situation, a conversation — anything. We translate a mood into a scent. A fragrance should be an expression of a feeling, an idea or a thought.

Nowadays, marketers give the company a brief and ask them to build a product. Luckily, at Guerlain, we stress on the fragrance — marketing comes later.

Creating a scent is like tossing a coin — success is a chance. Sometimes the market does not welcome something different. People say it's bad.

Shalimar, which was launched in 1921, did not do well. But when Monsieur Guerlain took his wife on an ocean liner, she was wearing it for a ballroom party and everyone raved about it. So when he went back to Paris, it was relaunched and in 1925, it became one of the biggest hits!

Sometimes one has to push one's chances. When Derby was launched in 1983, it received lukewarm response. But now it is a bestseller. I feel there are no bad scents.

How does Jean Paul Guerlain influence your work?

Creating a perfume is a lonely job. The scent is on a piece of paper and you are on your own in a lab. You need to open up to someone.

For Guerlain Homme, I wanted freshness and warmth but was stumped. Jean Paul Guerlain walked in and I brought up the subject. He asked me to use rhubarb and the scent was terrific. When you get stuck, forget pride and ask your mentor.

What is your take on film stars and celebrities launching perfumes?

This is not a new trend, although of late it has gained momentum. Elizabeth Taylor brought out White Diamonds, which is still a bestseller in the US.

Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve and Celine Dion also inspire a lot of people. When I was working at Femenich, I made the scent for Kyle Minogue.

Guerlain has been the leader for almost two centuries. What's the secret behind the success?

Our goal is skincare and make-up with an emphasis on scent.

This has been the mainstay for 180 years. We always follow our hearts and marketing comes later. That's the secret of our success. The accent is on the fragrance.

— Nirmal Khanna is a UAE-based freelance writer

The story so far

The House of Guerlain was founded in 1828, when Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain opened his perfume store on 42 rue de Rivoli. As the founder and perfumer, he composed and made perfumes with the help of his two sons, Aime and Gabriel.

With success coming fast, he opened his flagship store at 15 rue de la Piax. In 1853, he created Eau de Cologne Imperiale and it was a huge success. Soon, he was making perfumes for royalty.

He died in 1864, after which his sons took over. Gabriel managed the business and Aime created fragrances such as bestseller Jicky (1889).

The business was handed down to the sons of Gabriel Guerlain: Jacques and Pierre.

Jacques became master perfumer and created several scents such as Mitsouko (1919) and Shalimar (1925), which are popular even today.

Jacques's grandson, Jean Paul, inherited the mantle and added a list of bestsellers such as Habit Rouge and Vetiver.

When the company was bought by the luxury brand LVMH, Jean Paul retired in 2002 but is still involved in creating fragrances and guiding the company to greater successes.